Shloka 11
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
न स पश्यति दुष्टात्मा त्वामद्य पतितं क्षितौ । अतः: श्रेयो मृतं मन््ये नेह जीवितमात्मन:,वह दुष्टात्मा आज आपको इस तरह भूमिपर पड़ा हुआ नहीं देख रहा है, अतः उसकी मृत्युको ही मैं यहाँ श्रेष्ठ मानता हूँ; किन्तु अपने इस जीवनको नहीं
na sa paśyati duṣṭātmā tvām adya patitaṃ kṣitau | ataḥ śreyo mṛtaṃ manye neha jīvitam ātmanaḥ ||
Si berhati jahat itu tidak melihat engkau hari ini rebah jatuh di bumi demikian. Maka aku menilai bahawa mati di sini lebih baik—bukan meneruskan hidupku—tatkala pemandangan ini telah terjadi namun si pelaku kejahatan tidak pun malu kerana menyaksikannya.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a dharmic anguish: when a righteous person witnesses a humiliating fall of someone worthy while the wrongdoer remains unaffected, mere survival can feel ethically hollow. It highlights the tension between endurance (living on) and the demand for moral accountability, showing how honor and justice weigh heavily in a kṣatriya moral imagination.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses someone who has fallen on the ground and laments that the wicked person responsible (or implicated) is not present to witness this downfall. In that grief and indignation, he declares that death seems preferable to continuing life under such circumstances.